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BEIRUT, Lebanon -- A United Nations judge ordered the release Wednesday of four high-ranking security officials being held here in connection with the 2005 killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, a decision that was seen here as a striking setback for the political movement led by Mr. Hariri’s son and political heir.

The judge, Daniel Fransen, said there was not enough evidence to hold the four men, who have been held without charge since September 2005 and are widely suspected of having had some knowledge of or involvement in the killing. They were the only suspects in custody of the international tribunal that was formed under the auspices of the United Nations in response to Mr. Hariri’s death from a huge car bombing on Feb. 14, 2005.

The announcement was met with volleys of celebratory gunfire from the generals’ supporters, and in the southern Beirut suburb that is the stronghold of Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group that is Mr. Hariri’s political adversary.